Field of the Invention
The present application relates to orthodontic correction technology, and in particular to a masticatory orthodontic correction device.
Description of the Related Art
When a person's teeth are in misalignment, his dental aesthetics, functions and health may be adversely affected. Affected functions include daily activities, such as chewing, pronunciation, and breathing. Induced dental health problems include dental cavities, periodontal disease and excessive wear of teeth. The goal of orthodontic correction is to reposition or realign the teeth of a patient to positions and orientations where the dental functions are improved.
Conventional braces use an archwire as the force-inducing appliance. The archwire is pre-shaped and interconnects the teeth through brackets that are fixed to the teeth. When initially installed, the archwire elastically deforms to accommodate the teeth in malposition to exert resilient corrective forces on them. The archwire exerts continuous forces on the teeth to gradually urge them to their finish positions. Making use of the appliance's own resilient property is also the working principle with aligners. The body or shell of clear aligners used in prior art is flexible and deforms when the appliance is worn, providing resilient corrective force as it tries to return to its original shape. When a clear aligner is worn on misaligned teeth, it is elastic and tries to accommodate the misaligned teeth, but does not fully contact the surfaces of the teeth. Thus additional parts fixed to the teeth, such as attachments are needed to allow the aligner body to better engage the misaligned teeth to apply resilient force. Clear aligners are required to be worn over 20 hours per day in order to provide continuous corrective force to achieve orthodontic results.
Clear aligners have the advantage of being less visible and removable. A patient removable appliance promotes better oral hygiene as the patient can more easily clean the teeth and the appliance. However, using clear aligners with attachments fixed on misaligned teeth can be more painful for patients. It is recognized in orthodontic practice that light, intermittent forces are preferable to heavy, continuous forces in making the teeth move faster through the alveolar bone and reduce risks of root resorption.